1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for separating grease from water. In particular, devices of this type are tailored for use with wastewater from commercial and residential sinks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The presence of grease in wastewater from sinks is a common plumbing problem. When this wastewater passes through pipes the grease will accumulate at joints and partial clogs. The result is that grease in the wastewater will either cause or exacerbate clogs in the pipes. It is therefore desirable to eliminate grease from wastewater before it passes into the plumbing system. This leads to the desirability of a device connected to the outtake of a sink that will allow for the removal of grease from the wastewater before it enters the remaining pipes.
In most residential kitchen designs there is very limited space between the outtake of the sink and the plumbing system. The space in most commercial designs is not much greater. It is therefore desirable that any device designed for the abovementioned purpose is as compact as possible. To this end, the structural elements of such a device should be minimized as much as possible. The present invention comprises a unique structural design that accomplishes this requirement to a greater degree then any of the devices existing in the prior art.
When grease accumulates in an environment of stagnant air, noxious fumes will develop. The devices in the prior art for separating grease from wastewater lead to the capture of grease in such an environment. This leads to very unpleasant odors. The present invention comprises a design feature undisclosed by the prior art that leads to air circulation and release of fumes that will minimize this problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,393,498 to Dewey A. Miller is a separator tank designed for removing rubber particles from an effluent. To this end it comprises several features that are not necessary for the simple goal of removing grease and would lead to an unnecessary use of space. Several baffles are incorporated in the Miller '498 design that are not required in the design of the present invention. Furthermore, the orientation of the intake and outtake ports of the present invention differs greatly from the Miller '498 patent. This structural distinction is significant since this particular orientation is crucial to the efficacy of the present invention. There is not air venting system included in the Miller '498 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,348 to H. J. Lalonde et al discloses an apparatus for separating immiscible liquids that is primarily designed for industrial purposes and for removing oil spills form seawater. This design requires a relatively high rate of flow of the fluid being separated to be effective. The baffling that is introduced would not be effective for a rate of flow that exists in common sinks. The intake and outtake orientation differs from the present invention. There is no air venting system included in the Lalonde '348 patent.
The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,277 to Bailey et al is a grease trap that is designed for a similar purpose to the present invention. However this device requires a baffling system to accomplish the same task as the present invention. The crucial distinction in structure between the Bailey '277 patent and the present invention is the orientation of the intake and the outtake of the devices. The unique orientation of the present invention makes the baffling of the Bailey '277 device unnecessary to accomplish the same separation effect. There is no air venting system included in the Bailey '277 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,619 to William C. Batten is a grease collecting system. This system employs an automated skimming system. It includes the use of pumps and electronic mechanisms. This will greatly increase the cost and need for maintenance over the present invention. It will also require more space, which will limit the capacity for use in residential sinks. There is no air venting system included in the Batten '619 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,860 to Robert J. Sager describes a grease trap that also has an outtake and intake orientation that differs from the present invention. This design requires a cup feature that is necessary to reduce the turbulence of water as it enters the chamber. This feature would not be necessary on the present invention. Also required in the Sager '860 design is a baffling system that is not needed in the present invention to accomplish the same goal. Thus the present invention enables a crucial reduction in space required. There is no air venting system included in the Sager '860 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,646 to James S. Powers discloses yet another grease trap that employs an outtake and intake orientation that differs from the present invention. This design requires an additional compartment to reduce the turbulence of water as it enters the separation chamber. This element would not be necessary on the present invention. And, as with the Sager '860 patent, the Powers '646 patent requires a baffling system. The Powers '646 design therefore requires an unnecessary use of space. There is no air venting system included in the Sager '860 patent.
Therefore a need exists for a novel and enhanced method for removing grease from wastewater. This device should be space efficient and durable. It should also be easy to keep clean. In this respect, the grease trap according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of removing grease from wastewater.